Just how much do you want to know about hypnosis and hypnotherapy?

We don't know for sure, but we're guessing that there's nowhere on the web that you can find out more about hypnosis and hypnotherapy. Since 1996, we have been writing about hypnosis and how to use it to help people - and hopefully in a way that demystifies hypnosis and makes it easy for everyone to understand. The articles below range from the introductory primer What you need to know about hypnosis to the in-depth hypnosis master series which will turn you into a veritable hypnogeek. So read on, and if you want to discuss what you've read, head over to our hypnosis forum or our main hypnosis site.

The Truth about Hypnosis and Memory
Hypnosis is no longer permissible in law as a tool to uncover 'facts' about witness reports, and hypnosis certainly shouldn't be used as a tool in psychotherapy to 'discover' memories. Because memory doesn't work like that.

How to be more charismatic
It’s clear that some people are more naturally persuasive than others. We sometimes call this ‘charisma’. These ‘charismatics’ are better able to per-suade and convince other people and to have their suggestions accepted. It’s the charismatic people who determine the mood of the social encounter.

The meaning of dreams
If you sit back and think about dreaming you’ll realize just how astonishing a phenomenon it is. Without your conscious effort, every night, whether you remember it or not, your brain creates multi-sensory environments that you live through. And what’s even more amazing is that behind every dream is a hidden pattern. This hidden pattern is the reason the dream is there in the first place.

The hypnotic art of confusion
Using confusion for hypnosis may sound like a strange idea ­ even a confusing one! But the notion of purposefully and knowingly using confusion as a tool to elicit hypnotic responses from the unconscious mind has a good pedigree.

Skeptical about hypnosis?
If you are skeptical about hypnosis you are right to be so. But let's take a mo-ment to think about what this means.

Eliciting hypnotic phenomena
When I first started doing hypnosis I was blown away by what I was able to get other people to experience. Hypnotic hand levitation, anesthesia in the body to numb pain, overcoming fears and lifelong phobias, changing depressive habits and even increasing physical strength. But I quickly found that when it comes to eliciting hypnotic phenomena there are ways and means which greatly improve your chances of success.

Hypnosis and pain control
Hypnosis is an astonishingly effective way of reducing � and even removing � pain responses. Some of the most impressive footage you�ll see of hypnosis is where it is being used for pain control.

The power of metaphorWhat is a metaphor? Generally speaking, it’s a story or an idea that parallels another pattern or situation. So if I say, “This car is a dream to drive,” I’m using a metaphor. The car isn’t a dream, of course, but everyone understands what I mean.

How beliefs work
Hypnosis can be used to alter perception and therefore belief. When you work with hypnosis you learn something very profound about the nature of belief. Some hypnotized subjects can be hypnotized to see things that are not there or not to see things that are there.

How your environment influences you
People’s suggestibility can be powerfully influenced by the environment in which they find themselves, and you can use environmental triggers – and ‘triggers’ can, of course, include your own words – to seed suggestions which are later taken up by the person listening to you.

The secret of instant rapport
Here's a true story. Years ago, when I was a fledgling hypnotherapist, I had a call from a man who had been severely injured in a rugby accident sustained while he was in the military, and who had been left disabled.

How to talk to the unconscious mind
A sense of identity is a curious thing. When I talk about 'me' or 'I', which part of me do I mean? Am I talking about the conscious part of me that makes decisions and consciously intends to do something?

How well do you know yourself?
If you are ignorant, or deluding yourself, about what you are really like you will be held back in your development as a human being because, in effect, you're working blind. You can't really get somewhere unless you have a good idea where you are at the moment.

How to learn excellence from others
Who we associate with profoundly affects how we are. But how we use that association will also make a significant difference. What does this mean?

How to stop jinxing your future
How we think about the future strongly influences how fulfilled and successful we'll become and our ability to make good life choices for ourselves.

Why do they do that? How to understand people
This article focuses on the importance of developing the skill of super observation when looking directly at the people in your life and also when thinking about them and their behaviour.